Happy Engagement to You
by Sportfanatic2007
Summary: Follows It Must Be a Crazy Day. Matt and Helen host an engagement party for Josh and Donna. Chapter 5 is now up! Feedback is appreciated!
1. Chapter 1: Last Briefing of the Week

Disclaimer: I do not own "The West Wing" or anything associated with it. I am merely borrowing the ideas for a little bit of fun. Enjoy!

As the first week of the Santos administration came to a close, the new Senior Staffers were getting used to a new routine, and the experienced ones were getting used to their new posts in the administration. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the weekend, since it was two days that they didn't have to worry about the White House, unless the nation was in immediate danger.

However, before the Senior Staff got to the weekend, there was still quite a bit of unfinished business to take care of. For example, Lou and Annabeth still had to make a formal announcement to the press corps about Josh and Donna's wedding plans. They did just that as the last official briefing of the week.

Lou opened up the briefing by talking a little bit more about the situation in Kazakhstan. She said, "Now that President Santos has talked to his defense staff, they have a better idea about their plans for the region. They plan to go in sometime this week, and will not use violent intervention unless it is deemed necessary."

After Lou made her brief statement on Kazakhstan, Annabeth entered the press room, with Lou saying, "Now here's Annabeth with the status of Josh and Donna's wedding plans."

Annabeth said, "Thank you, Lou. Okay, Josh and Donna have definite plans for their wedding. "They will be getting married on October 21 in Manchester, New Hampshire. The best man will be Deputy Chief of Staff Sam Seaborn and the maid of honor will be former White House Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg. Other plans will be made closer to the wedding date."

The press simply cheered to this statement, saying things like, "That's where Bartlet lives!" and "It will be a beautiful wedding." The big reaction was, "Hallelujah! They set a date!"

Lou followed up by saying, "Any questions about anything that was covered this afternoon?"

One reporter did have a question on the situation in Kazakhstan. She asked, "What do you mean 'deemed necessary'?"

Lou replied, "If their people attack us first or something like that, then we will use violence over there. Any more questions?"

Nobody said anything. Annabeth then ended the briefing by saying, "Okay then, that's it. Have a good weekend!"

The reporters replied, "Same to you, Lou and Annabeth."

After Lou and Annabeth left the press room, Lou turned to Annabeth and asked, "Are you going to Josh and Donna's party in the residence?"

Annabeth replied, "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Lou said, "I'm going too, what time is it again?"

"7:30," said Annabeth. "Gives people enough time to finish up their business here and to go home and get changed."

"Cool. See you there," said Lou, as she and Annabeth headed to their separate wings.


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Ready

Even though they were two of the most important people in the White House, Josh and Donna managed to take off early on Friday. Matt and Helen had given the two of them permission to leave early, since their party was that night, and they had a few surprises in store for Josh and Donna. So, instead of running around like lunatics during the last hour of business, Josh and Donna had gone home and were getting ready for the party.

Unlike the preparations for the inaugural balls, Donna was not so high-maintenance. Sure, this was a party in honor of Josh and herself, but at the same time, it was not as formal of an occasion as the balls were. After looking through her closet for a few moments, she settled on a red turtleneck sweater with a black skirt, complete with black stockings and black high-heeled boots.

After selecting her outfit, she picked out her jewelry, which included a silver locket that Josh had given her on their last night in Hawaii. When Donna put it on, she realized that it made her outfit, along with a pair of silver teardrop earrings. She then proceeded to put on some simple make-up, enough to highlight her natural beauty.

For once when he tried to get into the bathroom, Josh did not have to rush Donna out of there. She was just finishing up as he was going in. Once Donna came out of the bathroom, she managed to make Josh's jaw drop, similar to Inaugural Night.

Josh took one look at her and simply said, "No matter the occasion, you look stunning."

Donna blushed slightly and said, "Thanks." She then took a look at Josh's outfit, which was a royal blue suit with a white shirt and a red tie, and told him, "You look pretty sharp yourself."

Josh replied, "Thanks. I figured that this would be good enough for tonight, since it's not that formal of a party." He was saying this as he was making his brief preparations in the bathroom.

"Yeah," said Donna, "but we had to look nice, since it is a party in _our_ honor." She looked at the clock and noted that it was almost 7:00. After looking at the clock, she said, "It's almost 7:00, so we'd better get going."

"I had no idea it was so late," said Josh, coming out of the bathroom. "Yeah, we'd better go."

As they headed out the door, Donna said, "This party is going to be great. I mean, everyone all together, chilling out before the administration gets too crazy."

"Tell me about it," said Josh, "These next nine months are going to be crazy, between our work and planning a wedding, but we've been through so much over the past nine years, that we can handle it." Donna simply smiled to his comment as they closed the door and headed out to the party.


	3. Chapter 3: The Arrivals

When Josh and Donna left the apartment, most of the people who were invited to the party were already there. One of the few things that Josh and Donna did not know about the party was that Matt and Helen had arranged for Jed and Abbey Bartlet, along with others from the Bartlet administration, to be there. Since the Bartlet administration was how Josh and Donna had actually met, Matt and Helen felt that it would be appropriate for the former President and First Lady to attend the party. So, in a way, the party would be a reunion of sorts. Sure, the Bartlet administration had just ended, but any opportunity to see Jed and Abbey was a welcome one.

One of the first people to arrive at the party was Sam. He saw the former President and First Lady and walked right over to them. Abbey hugged Sam and then Jed shook his hand warmly.

Sam greeted them with some formality by calling Jed "sir." Jed replied to this by saying, "I'm not the President anymore, you can call me Jed." Abbey said something similar to that.

Sam then asked the two of them, "Do Josh and Donna know that you're here?"

Abbey said, "No. The President wanted it to be a surprise. I guess he meant a surprise to everyone, because apparently you didn't know we were coming either."

Sam said, "No, but it is good to see you."

Jed said, "It's good too see you too." He then asked, "How is it being Deputy Chief of Staff."

"So far, it's been interesting," said Sam, "Especially with Josh as Chief of Staff."

"He's a good fit for the job," said Jed. Abbey simply nodded her head in agreement.

"He's perfect not only for the job, but for Donna too," said Sam, "They'll be happy together."

"Yes, they will," said Abbey.

During their conversation, most everyone who had been invited to the party had shown up. Annabeth, who was among the first to arrive, was deciding which of her CD's to play first (settling on a classical compilation). Lou and Ronna were finishing up on the decorations, which included tons of balloons and a big banner that said "Congratulations Josh and Donna!" Much of the other staff was engaged in conversation. Meanwhile, Matt and Helen were by the door when C.J and Danny finally arrived.

"Sorry we're late," said C.J. "We were stuck in traffic."

"Just be glad Josh and Donna aren't here yet," said Matt. "They don't know that you're coming."

"Really?" said Danny, "I thought that someone would have blown the surprise by now."

"Actually, nobody knew that you're coming," said Helen, with a smile on her face, "That way, we could keep it a secret."

At this point, C.J. had found Sam talking with the Bartlets, so she went over to talk to them. Danny joined her a few seconds later.

About ten minutes after C.J. and Danny arrived, Matt spotted Josh and Donna pulling up. Matt simply said, "They're here!"

Everybody was acting like it was a normal party, which it was, except for the few surprise guests. When Josh and Donna came into the residence, they were amazed at how amazing the residence was decorated, as well as the number of people who were there to celebrate their engagement. However, once they saw their former boss and friends from the Bartlet administration, they were so happy that they were at a loss for words.


	4. Chapter 4: Party Time!

Once Josh and Donna saw the Bartlets as well as C.J. and Danny, they were simply at a loss for words. Donna even had tears in her eyes, since she was happy to see her former boss and close friends. Helen saw how happy they were and said, "We figured that since the Bartlet administration was how you two met, and decided to invite them to help you celebrate."

Josh replied, "Thank you both. How did you get C.J. and Danny out here?"

Matt said, "Well, we found out that C.J. was going to be Donna's maid of honor…"

C.J. finished the sentence by saying, "…and the President called me and asked if we would like to come to the party. Danny and I said that we would not miss it for anything."

Donna was still surprised, but happy. She simply said, "Thank you for coming." She then hugged C.J. and Danny, and then the Bartlets.

As Donna hugged the Bartlets, Jed told her, "You and Josh are perfect for each other. We're happy for the both of you."

After a few moments of hugs and wiping away tears (C.J. and Donna were still in tears after seeing each other again), Matt said, "Well, we came here to celebrate Josh and Donna's engagement, so let's get the celebration going!"

After hearing this, Annabeth (who had supplied the music for the evening) had switched from a classical compilation to a more upbeat mix, and people started to dance and have a good time.

Even the Santos children were at the party. Miranda was wearing a pink short-sleeved dress and could be seen bouncing up and down to the music. Peter was in dress clothes and was headed toward the food table after Helen took away his Game Boy for the evening.

After a while, more people started to eat. The food was widely varied, ranging from teriyaki chicken and rice to filet mingion and baked potatoes. After settling in and before starting to eat, Sam made a toast.

Looking at a blissfully happy Josh and Donna, Sam said, "To two of my closest friends, who we can all see were made for each other, I wish you nothing but total happiness for many, many years to come. To Josh and Donna, nothing but the best!"

Everyone else said, "Nothing but the best!", then toasted, and had a sip of champagne (the kids toasted with Sprite). They then ate dinner and were talking amongst themselves. After finishing their dinner, Matt and Helen came over to Josh and Donna.

Helen asked, "Are the two of you enjoying yourselves?"

Donna said, "Yes. Thank you so much for this."

Josh added, "Especially getting C.J., Danny, and the Bartlets here. That was the most surprising."

Matt said, "Our pleasure. We wanted to help you celebrate this occasion as well as your happiness." After seeing that more people were finishing their meals and were mingling again, he said, with a smile on his face, "This night wouldn't be complete without the happy couple sharing a dance."

"Of course we would love to dance in front of everyone," said Josh, with Donna nodding her head in approval. "Can we just see what music there is?"

"Sure," said Helen, "Don't take too long though. We want to see this dance before everyone leaves."

After making their way over to Annabeth's CD collection and stereo, Josh and Donna looked over the music for a few moments before picking a song and putting the CD in. Before they started to dance, Josh and Donna made a quick speech.

"The President and First Lady asked us to have a dance, so we will," said Josh, who pushed the play button on the CD player.

As music was coming on, Donna added, "We chose a song that reflected our lives and how far along we've come since we met each other." As the introduction ended, "We chose "Miracle" by Foo Fighters."

Wrapping themselves in each other's arms, they danced as the music played.

_Crazy, but I believe this time  
Begging for sweet relief  
A blessing in disguise  
I'm dying behind these tired eyes  
I've been losing sleep  
Please come to me tonight_

"It's hard to believe it's been almost nine years since we met," said Donna, who had her head on Josh's shoulder.

"Yeah, and look at how far we've come," Josh replied.

_Hands on a miracle  
I got my hands on a miracle  
Believe it or not  
Hands on a miracle  
And there ain't no way I'll let you take it away_

For the rest of the song, Josh and Donna were silent, reflecting on the journey that they had shared over the last several years.

_Everything that we've survived  
It's gonna be alright  
Just lucky we're alive  
Got no vision  
I've been blind  
Searching everywhere  
You're right there in my sight_

Josh had memories of Donna's fateful trip to Gaza and how he nearly lost her after he made her feel worth almost nothing more than an assistant (Of course, he didn't realize it at the time). Donna was having memories of Rosslyn and how Josh nearly died. They both realized (without saying anything) that they were there for each other when they need each other the most, and they were meant for each other.

_Hands on a miracle  
I got my hands on a miracle  
Believe it or not  
Hands on a miracle  
And there ain't no way I'll let you take it away_

As the song ended, everyone in the room was clapping. They were looking at a happy couple and had hoped for nothing but the best for them.

The music was then switched back to the upbeat dance music that was played before dinner. Everyone went back to dancing and socializing for much of the remainder of the evening.

Around 10:30, Matt and Helen brought out a huge ice cream cake with a picture of Josh and Donna on it and lettering that said, "Congratulations Josh and Donna!" After letting everyone take pictures of the cake, Helen then stuck two candles in the cake and lit them. She then said, "Make a wish, you two!"

Josh and Donna blew out the candles and made the first cut of the cake (along with posing for more pictures). They shared the first piece of cake as everyone else served themselves and enjoyed their cake. There were also assorted cookies, pound cake, and fruit for those who didn't want the cake.

Once dessert was finished (everything but the fruit was completely gone), everyone was simply sitting down and relaxing before they left. As everyone was sitting down, Matt and Helen passed out the party favors (they didn't want Josh or Donna to worry about _anything_ except enjoying themselves), which were silver bells with ribbons that said "Josh and Donna."

Around 11:30, Bram was the first to leave. He went over to hug Donna and shake Josh's hand. He said, "Congratulations. You two will be very happy together. See you Monday."

"Thank you for coming! Good night!" Josh and Donna said in unison.

Shortly after Bram left, Otto left. He also said congratulations to Josh and Donna as he was leaving. The majority of the staffers also left.

As people were leaving, Lou and Ronna were taking down the decorations and popping the balloons. They handed the huge banner to Josh and Donna as a keepsake from the party (everyone who was there that night had signed it). Annabeth was taking her CD's out of the stereo and putting them back in the case before she took down her stereo.

When Josh and Donna asked if they could help with anything, Lou said, "Oh no, this is your night, you don't do anything but sit down and relax." Josh and Donna did as they were told.

After everything was cleaned up, Matt and Helen went over to everyone to say good night.

"This was a fun evening," said Helen, "Getting everyone together in celebration before the real chaos begins."

"Yeah, it was fun," said Ronna, "I mean, it's not everyday the Chiefs of Staff become engaged."

"Yeah," said Matt, "Well, I'm glad everyone had a good time. Good night and see you on Monday."

Everyone else but Josh, Donna, C.J., Danny, Jed, and Abbey had left the residence as Matt and Helen were putting Peter and Miranda to bed. The six of them were still reminiscing with each other.

Before they left, Josh and Donna said goodbye to Jed and Abbey.

"Thank you for coming," said Donna.

"Our pleasure," said Abbey, "We are happy for the both of you and look forward to hosting your wedding on the farm in October."

Jed added, "Yes, we are. Good night and congratulations."

After a few more moments of hugs and handshakes, Jed and Abbey headed to bed as Matt and Helen came back into the room. They were staying in the White House for the night as guests of the President and First Lady.

After Matt and Helen came back into the room, Josh and Donna went over to say good night to them.

"Once again, thank you so much for tonight," said Donna.

"It was a great evening," added Josh.

"We're glad you enjoyed yourselves," said Matt, "This is a big moment in your lives, and we wanted to help you celebrate it."

Helen then added, as she was hugging Matt, "We just hope that the two of you have as much happiness in your lives as we have."

Donna said, "Well, all good things must come to an end. We can't thank you enough for this wonderful night. See you on Monday."

Josh added, "Thank you so much. Have a good night. See you on Monday."

Matt and Helen replied, "Good night, you two!"

After leaving the residence, Josh and Donna found Lou, Annabeth, Ronna, Sam, C.J., and Danny outside as if the group was waiting for them.

Donna asked, "What are you all doing here?"

Annabeth replied, "Well, none of us want the night to end yet, and we wanted to know if you wanted to go to Friday's with us for some drinks and munchies."

After talking about it for a second, Josh and Donna replied, "Sure."

Lou said, "Okay. So do you want to meet over there in about 20 minutes? First one there gets us the table."

Donna said, "Sounds good. See you there."

As they were headed to their car, Josh said to Donna, "Looks like all good things don't have to come to an end."

Donna smiled and said, "Not all the time, Josh. At least not tonight."


	5. Chapter 5: Afterparty

Once they left the White House, Josh, Donna, Lou, Annabeth, Ronna, Sam, C.J., and Danny all headed to T.G.I Friday's to keep the party again. It was, after all, Friday night, and none of them was ready for the night to end yet.

Lou and Ronna were the first ones there, so they got the table for the group. Once everybody else got there, it was a scene similar to the night of the election (with a few more people, of course).

Once everyone got there and sat down, they could not stop talking (except for putting in the drink orders). It was Ronna that brought up how similar the scene was to the night before the election.

"Doesn't this feel like the night before the election, or is it just me?" said Ronna.

"I think it's you," said Lou, as their drinks arrived, "There are a few people at this table who were not there."

"True," said Ronna, "but we're just chilling out as if we don't have a care in the world at this moment."

"She's right," said Sam.

After taking a few moments to order, Annabeth added, "We were with our friends tonight celebrating a special occasion."

Lou then raised her glass and said," To Josh and Donna, two special people, whose lives will be filled with all the love and happiness in the world."

They then toasted and Josh said, "Why didn't you say that at the party?"

Lou replied, "Didn't think of it until just now. Anyway, I would have been too embarrassed to say it at the party."

C.J. replied, "You're White House Communications Director, and you would have been too humiliated to make a toast at a party?"

Lou said, "Hey, the moment would have been too emotional anyway."

At that moment, their food arrived (two appetizer samplers plus a chicken quesadilla). As they were eating, they still could not keep quiet.

Donna said, "Josh and I can't thank you all enough for tonight."

Ronna said, "It was our pleasure, my dear. You and Josh deserved it."

Annabeth said, "The two of you are special people who were made for each other. I just hope that your lives are filled with nothing but happiness."

Sam said, "This wedding will be amazing. I mean, New Hampshire in October, not to mention the Bartlet farm. What more can you ask for?"

Danny said, "Definitely. I mean, it's not California in August, but whatever makes you the happiest."

Donna replied, "We wanted the Bartlets to be there, so it was the perfect idea."

Annabeth said, "And the press corps will be out of the way, at least for the ceremony. You two have set yourselves up for a beautiful, intimate wedding."

Josh said, "Whatever makes my Donna happy."

With that statement, she kissed Josh on the cheek. Josh blushed the tiniest bit, enough to make everyone else giggle.

Donna said, "Get used to it. You'll be seeing that a lot more."

Annabeth replied, "How cute! This is a first in White House history, makes me wish I was engaged to one of the President's assistants or something."

Lou said, "Would you want all the media attention that goes along with that?"

Annabeth said, "Probably not, but it still makes me kind of jealous."

As Annabeth said that, the check arrived, and they split the tab equally. Lou jokingly asked Josh to pay for all the drinks.

"Nice try, Lou," said Josh, with a grin on his face, "Not this time."

After they paid, they went outside. Before everyone separated, they shared a group hug outside the restaurant.

Ronna said, "What a night. What a celebration."

Lou said, "Definitely. We should do a night out like this again soon."

Josh said, "Yeah, because there won't be any relaxing parties like this until the wedding."

Annabeth said, "Well, I have to get going. Goodnight, everyone!"

"Goodnight, Annabeth!" was the unanimous reply.

After Annabeth went into her car, everyone else did the same after saying goodnight to each other.

C.J. and Donna hugged for a few moments, and then parted ways. Sam was taking C.J. and Danny back to the White House, since they were spending the night there as well.

Once they were in their car, Josh said to Donna, "That was a fun night."

Donna said, "Yeah, it was. Like you said, we won't get too many of these nights before the wedding."

After the short drive home and getting back into their apartment, Josh and Donna changed clothes and snuggled on the couch for a few moments before going to bed.

Donna said to Josh, "I can't believe that everyone was able to put everything together for tonight. Especially getting the Bartlets, C.J., and Danny here."

Josh replied, "Yeah. The President and First Lady were so nice about everything for the party."

After a few more moments of snuggling, Donna told Josh, "I'm tired, so I'm going to bed."

Josh gave her a kiss and said, "Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. Good night, my angel."

Donna kissed Josh back and said, "Good night, my Joshua."

Thinking about it, Josh and Donna realized that this party was more than an engagement party. It was a way to get the staffs together to relax before the real chaos of the administration began.

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Credit goes to Foo Fighters for the song lyrics! I love this song (and think it fits well with Josh and Donna)! No copyright infringement intended.


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